St. Mary's history of compassion and care for the people of Northeast Georgia dates back to 1906 -- 100 years. We have been in continuous operation since 1938 under the sponsorship of the Sisters of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and, more recently, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Our values and mission flow from their devotion and service to God and humanity.

“We arrived in Athens at the Seaboard Railroad Station on the Silver Comet at 6 a.m., May 13, 1938. The local Pastor, Father Harold Barr, and a committee from the parish of St. Joseph’s welcomed us to our Convent, which was located on Harris Street, ‘The first dirt road on the left.’ Father Barr offered to give us a lift in his car. Mother Columba declined, saying that we might as well begin our journey right then and there on foot in the mud to our new home. This spirit was typical of Mother Columba’s philosophy of facing the cross of the moment and with Christ’s help going forward.”

— Sister Sara, M.S.C., one of the four Sisters who came to Athens in 1938 to reopen and operate St. Mary’s Hospital. From her memoirs, “I remember…”